Combination flowerpot and jardiniere



March 21. 1944. N. VALLINOS COMBINATION FLOWERPOT AND JARDINIERE Filed March 22, 1.943

Ha WATE/F LEI/EL Patented Mar. 21, 1944 UNITED STATES l PATENT OFFICE COMBINATION FLOWERPIOT AND JARDINIERE This invention relates to devices such as combination flower pots and jardinieres.

One object of the invention is to provide a device as set forth whereby the life of a plant may be prolonged by a more uniform feed and better conservation of water available therefor.

More specifically it is an object of the invention to reduce evaporation of water through the porous portions of a flower pot and desirably to also provide and maintain a reservoir of water, by conjoint improved operation of the jardiniere and its removable flower pot, whereby the destruction of fine fibrous roots during dry heat spells is avoided.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a device as described whereby a plant may be planted and retained throughout in the flower pot specifically provided for the jardiniere, thus avoiding laborious transplanting.

To appreciate the importance of the advantages involved, it is necessary to bear in mind that a horticulturist places plants in unglazed pots, because such pots aiford various advantages in handling and growing the plant, especially as the plant is often transplanted to successively larger pots in course of the development of the plant. Such unglazed pots are, however, undesirable for use by the ordinary consumer, particularly be.- cause the loss of Water byevaporation therefrom is very rapid. Unless extreme care and attention are given, the line, fibrous roots are readily damaged especially during a hot, dry spell of weather. Therefore transplanting to glazed pots i almost the universal rule. My invention saves all this labor of transplanting because I provide for the initial planting directly into my novel pot. When sold to the ultimate consumer, this novel not need merely be placed in a J'ardiniere provided according to the invention, thus creating my device, and reducing loss of water by evaporation and affording a reservoir, all for the efllcient feed and control of water to the plant.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described which is convenient in use, cheap to manufacture, and whose outside appearance is neat and is like that of a single glazed pot, although water may be supplied to the roots directly or by absorption through porous, unglazed walls.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the specification proceeds.

With the aforesaid objects in view, the invention consists in the novel combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described in their instrumentalities are combined in one and the same structure, but, useful devices may be produced embodying less than the whole.

. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains, that the same may be incorporated in several different constructions. The accompanying drawing, therefore, is submitted merely as showing the preferred exemplification of the invention.

l Referring in detail to the drawing, [0 denotes a device embodying the invention. The same comprises a flower pot H and a, jardiniere l2. The former may have a usual drain hole l3 and an upper'annular shoulder l4, glazed as at [5. Preferably all the rest of the pot is unglazed and porous for absorption of water, which may be aided by the feet or projections I la at the bottom wall of the pot.

The jardiniere l2 has a non porous side and bottom wall, such as may be produced by glazing as at I6, 11. It may also have an annular corner reenforcement constituting a water control means I3 as hereinafter described.

When the flower pot is placed in the jardiniere, the assembly is complete. The shoulder l4 may rest on the top edge of the jardiniere forming a Joint l5a, closing off an annular chamber l9 and also a bottom chamber 20. A fairly accurate fit prevents loss of water by evaporation, since the outside of the device 10 is non porous, be cause the glazing at l5, it, I! is practically contmuous throughout. The level of water in the reservolr may be indicated at 2| and this may be at the level of the bottom of the pot II. If desired the pot may also rest on or closely approach the shoulder l8, so that the latter forms a restrictlon, and the space forming chamber l9 may be so narrow that water may creep up into it by capillary action. The feet Ha dip into the water but are not intended to rest on th jardiniere. The water at 2! may be supplied by drainage jury to delicate fibrousrootsr Suchiabsorption may be aided; by the; porous feet, lla espeoially if the water level be rather low, but the loss of water by evaporation at the top of the pot will be rather inconsequential, as the earth level is suf ficiently high, as indicated at 22-, to assure absorption to the plant.

It is now clear that a plant can be initially; placed in the porous flower pot H which may be sunk into loose earth and kept there without transplanting, this pot being placed in the jar diniere 12 to produce the complete device I sold to acustomer. The life ofjthe plantfiis prolonged by avoiding evaporation. from: the: porous wall: of, the pot, and the. elimination: of, transplanting avoids. considerable, labor and: possible damage to the plant which would be especially serious at the time of sale to a customer. The device" I0: is easy toguse, cheap to makeand/is neat ins-appearance as shown by Fig. 1, and it maybe-embodied in various different designsgand-shapes; and comloinations. thereof;,ormayv be made to; look. like a single structure;-

The device In may be made by casting thieipot and jardin-iere of usual porous materials, which may be bakedhard. Then suitable fusible mate,- rial may be. appliedato; the outside-oftheshoulder portionof the. potand; totheaoutside oflthe jardiniere, these articles-.being then heated, to produce the glazing indicated; The large mass of porous material? of:- the potandjardiniere af= fords a substantialflwater capacity, which has-the advantage as. compared with the reservoir 28, that it yields its water very slowly; Itcreates at the very leastarhi hly-humidjatmosphere within the. chamber-I 9; ,the; largeexternal porous surface of the pot-being welladapted to absorb'moisture therefrom. Thusthe reservoir may be, dry,vand yet some moisture-isavailable to tide the plant over and prevent destruction; of r the, delicate root ends. The aforementioned action may be en:

hanced by utilizing relatively coarse material in making the pot and jardiniere, this being feasible because the coarseness is concealed by the decorative glazing. If preferred, the joint l5a may be regarded as temporarily sealed by any suitable gummy or other material, and of course the water may be supplied to the pot as by a measuring cup, to obtain a uniform feed as determined by user anddmaccondance with the requirements of the particularplant'. Since thegpot is carried entirely at the joint l5a, a good closure is obtainable without such obstruction as might be caused by irregularities as might be the case with a multi point support; particularly as the structure is cast and-hence may be varied somewhat in size. Here the entireeweig ht of the pot is available to assure a proper closure, and the difficulty generally experiencedinv fitting together ordinary pots and jardinieres is avoided.

A combined flower pot and jardiniere, including a potrhaving an annular outwardly onset:- shoulderportion: atthe-mouth thereof definingra band-likepart forming; the upper, portion of the pot, and; a: jardiniere; receiving pot and supporting; thevisame. at the. bottom of: the shoulder portion the pot;consisting. substantially of porous material withxthe. bandrlike part there+ of being externally: nonporous and; the rest of the wpotv below said. partibeing externally and in ternally porous, to water; the jardiniere, consis ing substantiallyof porous.material.with the external surface thereof non; porous and the internal surface thereof porous to water, theexternal surface of the pot"; below the shoulder portion beingspaced:fromithezinternal surface of'the jardinierev to afford; a; water: and moisture chamber in communication with the pot; said'porousmaterials affording-i water; storage capacity with water in. said: chamber being absorbed and distributed'at.thezporous surfaces and by the porous materials. said, chamberbeing closed by the shoulder portion constituting-a closure therefor and the nonwporous surfaces of the pot and jardiniere beingsubstantially: continuous with 4 each other: the non-porous surface. portions of the ibandrlikepart and-.of; the side wall oi the pot lying; in: a single continuous upright surface.

NICHOLAS VALLINOS. 

